Out of crisis, Israel has the chance to forge a new constitution
The government’s retreat has pulled Israel back from the brink. But its people remain deeply divided
Israel’s citizens have won a rare victory after marching, week after week, to defend judicial independence and the character of their democracy. On March 27th they forced their prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, to suspend his plan to rein in the courts. Yet, although the crisis has abated, it has not passed.
The danger now is that, hoping the protesters’ fervour has cooled, Mr Netanyahu and his extreme right-wing and religious coalition partners try to force through his laws with only cosmetic changes in May, in the next session of the Knesset. That would almost certainly reignite the conflict. If right-wing parties called out their supporters, violence could erupt. To heal their divisions, Israelis must take this chance to resume the constitutional talks they put on hold 73 years ago.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline "Back from the brink"
From the April 1st 2023 edition
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